


We Meet Again

by allthelonelyfandoms



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Drinking, Everyone's gay, Flirting, I am wylan/jesper trash, M/M, Masquerade, animal masks, bisexual jesper, bisexual nina, gay wylan, inej is the mom friend, innuendo city, jesper is a romantic, kaz is grumpy, little bit of cinderella for some reason, mainly jesper and wylan with some kaz and inej and only a bit of matthias and nina, set in grisha world, there is still not enough wylan/jesper fanfic, wylan looks like kuwei for a while because reasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8201255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthelonelyfandoms/pseuds/allthelonelyfandoms
Summary: Wylan is the son of a rich lord; Jesper is the son of the town dunce. Wylan knows his love of the music does nothing to help his poor case. Jesper knows all the bullets and dance halls won't do anything to get him out of the rut he's dug himself. When Kaz Brekker offers Jesper a chance at thirty million kruge, he takes it without hesitation. But clearing the Van Eck dynasty off the playing field may prove a difficult feat for even the most talented sharpshooter in Ketterdam.





	1. Money Makes The World Turn Round

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jordan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jordan/gifts).



Jesper Fahey loved balls. Nope! That sentence came out wrong no matter how you phrased it, and yet, it still managed to perfectly capture and portray the entirety of Jesper.

What he was actually thinking and would say rather than the skewed sentence that had crossed his mind earlier was that he liked going to parties, events, gatherings. Balls just wasn’t right. But trust that Jesper himself was not disliking of the other kind with which the word could easily be confused. 

So Kaz Brekker's offer was a sweet one. It would make Jesper a fool to pass it up. First, it was a ball, and as previously established, Jesper loved balls. Second, it was a gig, and right now, Jesper was broke on his ass, desperately in need of the cash. Third, it meant being near Kaz, earning his approval in the side glances and silent praise, seeing the glory that was Kaz sliding into the suit of whoever he needed to be, and smelling the smell of leather, iron, and something Jesper could only name as masculine. 

It was a masquerade ball to be exact. Kaz had been vague on details, saying he'd explain more once they were in the company of Inej, Nina, and the recent addition to their crew, Matthias. He'd been a rogue druskelle out on the waters; she'd been a captive on the most fearsome druskelle's ship. One of the Grisha captives had set off an explosion and his boat had been destroyed. Now, he owed her a life debt and she'd dragged him off to Ketterdam where the real fun would begin. And begin it was. As disgusting as the public atrocities of affection they displayed were, Kaz Brekker had made a promise to the four of them last night.

This job would have a large reward.

In total, they would walk away with thirty million kruge split evenly among them. Jesper was bad at math but he could guess that would be enough. Enough to save his father's sorry name. Enough to pay back all his debts. Enough to be worth a pretty girl's time. Or a pretty boy's.

All it meant was destroying Jan Van Eck, his wives, and any heirs he may have. Traitorous as it was, the Council had discussed Jan Van Eck's wildly conservative stance on every issue amongst a group of left-leaning lords. Van Eck's plans were putting kids in the poor houses with a gun in each hand. They had consulted Kaz Brekker, the Bastard of the Barrel and Dirtyhands himself, a man from the poor house given a gun for each hand and asked to hold both of them and his cane to boot. He was destined for Reaper's Barge. But he'd been cunning and clever and he had tricked death. Several times over. It was slightly intimidating but made him all the sexier. He had a mind like a trap, incapable of detection and even harder to crack. It made it all the more unfair that he had the looks of a crooked god. Nor did it help that he had dark silken hair that looked like it would just be plain irresistible to run one's hands through. It was an infuriating mix of his high cheekbones and creamy skin, charcoal eyes and businessman attire. The thoughts rushing through Jesper's head? Well, let's just say they made him feel right at home with his criminal record. 

“Jesper!"" Nina called through a mouthful of cookie. 

His head snapped up, eyes meeting the four accomplices before him.

“Yes?" he asked, clearing his throat.

“Can you take out the lord's son?" Kaz repeated in a bored tone, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Course I can!" Jesper replied, leaning back into his seat and propping his crossed ankles onto the table, "Speaking of, what do you even call a lord's son? A Lordling?”

“An heir?" Inej guessed.

“Maybe you'd just call him a prince?" Matthias shrugged.

“Maybe we can all just call him a dead man," Nina added.

They all looked to Kaz.

“You'd call him a lord," Kaz droned.

“What a bore!" Nina groaned, tipping her head over the back of the chair.

“Watch it, Zenik!"

"So are we doing this or what?" Matthias asked. 

It took a half hour of planning before the five stood in front of the grand glowing palace of the lord himself.

"Let's have ourselves a ball!" Jesper declared as he entered the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did add some stuff after publishing. I'm not 100% on this chapter so any comment would be great. This is my first published fanfiction and I hope you enjoyed it. I am also trying to write another fanfiction and I'm reallynbusy lately so upkeep may be less than perfect. Message me on tumblr at allthelonelyfandoms.


	2. C'mon, Pretty Boy, What's a Dance Worth?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drumroll please! It's the Wylan/Jesper ball scene you've all been dying for (at least I have).

To hell with it, if someone did in fact start talking to him, he might read as a very unhappy camper. He slithered through the sea of dancers and party goers more than a little ruffled. Then again, it wasn't like you could just tell someone that you were going to go "be on look out" without raising some suspicion and frustration. Well, with pretty much anyone else, Jesper would have believed it, but Kaz and Inej? He couldn't trust that they wouldn't be at each other's faces by the end of the night. Maybe he was jealous that Inej got that tight little ass all to herself. But he sure as hell would deny it and claim he was merely jealous that he himself wasn't seeing any action, completely distant from anything Kaz-like. 

And in all truth, he wasn't. Getting action, that was. It was quite the outrage that no one had tried to talk to him yet. He'd pulled out all the stops tonight! He had departed from his classy yet overdone attire of a button down, vest, and suspenders with the occasional tie. Now, he wore a black button up with the sleeves rolled up and matching black trousers. His hands were covered by coppery golden gloves that matched his jaguar mask and suspenders. It was an outfit specifically built for jaw drops. So why wasn't he getting any?

Well shit! His night was gonna go absolutely nowhere! Unless some tall handsome stranger had come alone and had decided to grab a drink, he was royally screwed. 

Jesper took back everything he'd just thought about being screwed, because this time, he was screwed in a totally different way. A Shu boy was leaning against the wall, a fluted glass of champagne dangling between his lithe fingers. Those fingers...Jesper shook his head, clearing himself of any particularly gutter born thoughts. Even from a ways away, he would probably be an easy read. A pathetically turned on romantic standing starstruck and alone. Jesper quickly grabbed himself a glass and swiftly slided over to where the Shu boy stood.

"Hey there, stranger! Name's Jesper, what's yours?"

The Shu boy's eyes became impossibly thin. His golden eyes were slivers of sunlight under the dim lights at the bar. 

"What's it to you?" he pressed, shifting his bronze fox shaped mask.

"Well, it's just never as polite to ask for a dance when you don't even know the person's name," Jesper responded quickly.

The boy's eyes fluttered down and Jesper could see a tinge of red blossoming on the tops of his high cheeks. 

"Kuwei," the boy mumbled, carding a hand through his midnight black hair.

"Kiwi?" Jesper gasped, confused as to who would give a child such a name. He knew Shu to be a somewhat backwards country but he'd never think they'd be so controlling as to restrict names to fruits.

"Kuwei!" the boy repeated, louder this time and with more pronunciation, "Koo! Way!"

"Alright, Kuwei, fancy me a dance?" Jesper tried again, brushing his hand along Kuwei's arm. 

"In your dreams, Jesper," Kuwei said with a roll of his beautiful eyes. 

"Well, obviously," Jesper said, "but can it also be in my reality?"

Kuwei took a sip from his glass, surveying the crowd of writhing bodies with keen eyes. God, his eyes! Jesper could get lost in those pools of honey golden ecstasy!

"C'mon, pretty boy, what's the risk?"

"Everything,"

"Oh really?" Jesper inquired.

"Do you know why I'm here tonight, Jesper?" Kuwei asked, turning to look him in the eyes, setting his flute down on a nearby table.

"Entertain me, darling," Jesper replied through the curve of his smirk.

Through a twinge of blush and a tap to his mask, Kuwei smoothly answered, "Because I'm a fox, and I'm looking for something to eat."

"Think you can make do with a jaguar?" Jesper asked.

"Oh, I think I'll be full by night's end," he replied, grabbing Jesper's hand and leading him onto the floor.

~

A smile flickered in and out of view on Inej's face in the light of a single candle. Sure, it made something in Kaz stir and it most definitely went lower than just his stomach, but she shouldn't be silently applauding Jesper's raunchy advances. Jesper was here for Wylan, not a distracting Shu fox. 

Beside him, Inej giggled and he allowed his eyes to slide over to her. The mission had no room for distractions like Jesper's, he reminded himself. Distractions like Inej. He didn't let his eyes linger. The mission had no room for ditractions. There was no time to make mistakes. Jesper was going to have to find the lord's son by midnight. 

Or he would be stranded far from home with no fairy godmother and no pumpkin carriage to rescue him.

~

Jesper felt like royalty. The Shu boy danced in flashes of crimson, copper, and black. His eyes beckoned for Jesper to indulge him another dance, and another, and another. The mission at hand and the money it promised was shoved so far in the back of his mind. His fantasies tended to take up a lot of room. He twirled and flew across the dance floor, always within close reach of Kuwei and his miraculous eyes. The crystal chandeliers above twinkled like stars. It was a dream, a daze, a miracle. He felt like the stars had collided with his heart and he was seconds from crumpling and begging Kuwei to let him out of this trance. But he never wanted to leave. His heart was racing tenfold, his breathing was heavy and hot. He wanted Kuwei closer. He wanted Kuwei far closer.

So as the night wore down and the band played molasses music, dripping honey like Kuwei's eyes, he pulled him tight, not even trying to consider the elementary rule that one of the thick Ketterdam newspapers must fit in the space between their chests. That creeping crimson color came back to Kuwei's cheeks and brought forth a sly grin on Jesper's behalf. 

"Fox had his full?"

"Not close," Kuwei said, licking his lip suggestively.

"Oh really now?" Jesper sighed lazily, leaning until their faces were inches apart. It would be easy to cross the distance and see if he could find a new flavor in Kuwei's devilish smile. Easy as playing a hand of cards, easy as throwing his money to the wind, easy as shooting a gun, easy as a sly smirk, easy as...to hell with it!

One hand pressed at the curve of Kuwei's lower back and the other sliding up and behind to cradle the back of his head, Jesper kissed Kuwei softly, lovingly. What a sap! What a sap! The Crows would chastise him. It came flooding back, the panic that he'd done nothing for the mission. It made him worry that this moment would end. That he wouldn't have more than one stolen kiss with Kuwei. His kisses became frantic and rushed. It was sloppy work. It wasn't fair to give Kuwei a half-assed whatever this was after all of the sexual tension. So he tried, tried to deepen it and make it overwhelmingly wonderful rather than just plain too much. 

He slid back, his pupils blown out, leaving only a ring of silver on the edges. Kuwei's golden eyes had a similar disappearance in exchange for the dark attraction that could be found now.

"I'm sorry," Jesper slurred, sprinting out of the crowd.

His mumbled sorry's were pathetic as he nudged through the crowd. His head was a spinning mess of shameful thoughts. He was alight with a burning red in his cheeks. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. It hadn't been one sided; it had been anything but bad. 

He ran without direction or care. He ran hard and fast, desperate to be of some use. He hadn't thought about Kaz all night. He still needed to make him proud.

But proud was the last thing Kaz was as Jesper all out barreled into him, toppling the boy and his cane to the floor, making a scene Kaz hadn't wanted.

"Get the fuck off me, Jesper!" Kaz hissed. 

Inej scrambled from the shadows to help them up.

"Where's Nina and Matthias?" Jesper asked hurriedly.

"Gathering intel on the wives," Kaz snapped, twisting his head to glare at Jesper, "unlike you."

"Sorry to intrude, but you two sacks of shit better get your asses out of here," Inej whispered quickly, gesturing to the crowd looking their way. Jesper looked for Kuwei. He couldn't see him.

"But-" Jesper began, eyes still searching for Kuwei.

"Never again," Kaz Brekker stated, grabbing his arm in a firm grip that scared the shit out of Jesper. He had never seen Kaz this angry at him, "I never want you to do that again. You jeopardize the mission. You jeopardize all of our lives-"

"Later, boys," Inej grumbled, sliding two of her knives from their hiding spots and into her hands.

Kaz was already gone as Jesper began his walk up the stairs. Jesper was going to be in a world of shit.

But for the sake of drama, he gave one glance back. One final swoop of the ballroom.

He saw Kuwei with a crooked smirk on his face at the bottom of the stairwell.

He mouthed, "Go."

Jesper walked out, and once those doors were closed, he sprinted, he ran with reckless disinterest. He wouldn't go play a hand, he wouldn't go back to the Slat, he wouldn't go drink away his sorrows. He had much bigger plans. Kaz couldn't control him that easily. 

Because since when had Jesper Fahey, the world's greatest sharpshooter, ever played by anyone's rules but his own?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so the comments I've gotten so far are amazing! Thanks so much! I hope you guys like this chapter because I absolutely loved writing it! Also, just FYI, Wylan is disguised as Kuwei in this chapter. I am obsessed with Wylan being sassy and confident as Kuwei and being all flustered and shy as Wylan. I also have too many innuendos. More Kaz and Inej as well as Matthias and Nina will show up but reminder, Jesper and Wylan are the main ship. Tell me what you guys liked and what I should work on.
> 
> Also, shout out to my fave, Jordan, who I dedicated this fic to. It was her birthday yesterday and I hope this will suffice as a acceptable birthday present.


	3. He Loves Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't feel so good about this chapter but here it is anyway by popular demand. I might change it later if I get criticism or just cause I feel like it. There's a lot of language, just a head's up.

Jesper was pacing, hands flying in the air and through his hair. He was a tornado of lanky limbs incapable of staying strung together. He was a spring toy working overtime without the extra pay. The room was warm enough with the fire. The room was comfortable enough with Matthias and Nina curled up, feeding each other chocolates on the couch. Kaz was out, as per usual. Inej was too, in a similar familiarity. Jesper was all worn down and wound out, busted and broken from misuse of himself. 

"I like him something awful, guys," he groaned, wiping a hand over his face.

"Then go tell him," Matthias droned, not even bothering a glance over his shoulder as he fed Nina another chocolate. She bit down on it with a smile, her teeth just barely grazing his fingers. 

"I don't know where the hell he is, Helvar!" Jesper retorted sharply, raising his voice in clear agitation. 

"Then go find him, lover boy!" Nina called back through a mouthful of chocolate coated caramel. 

"Shut it, Zenik!" he snapped, proving his point with a snap of his fingers.

"Go find the damn boy if you're so desperate," she insisted, "he must mean something to you. Even if you're just looking to actually get in his pants this time round, he's important. If you think you're falling for him in a deeper sense, he's important. If you really want him, you have to go find him. No one here's gonna do it for you. You have to grow the fuck up and find him!"

Jesper just stood there, mouth agape.

"Are you gonna find him or is my motivational mantra not good enough to get your sorry ass out of here and give me and my man here some privacy?" she hissed, Matthias blushing deeply beside her. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna," he assured himself as much as her, nodding and snapping out of his daze.

"Then get the fuck out of here, ya filthy animal!" Nina called as he walked towards the door.

"Will do, Sargent!" he called behind him.

"Go get 'em, tiger!" she said through a smile. 

~

It was a bad idea to just try walking around the streets of Ketterdam. He'd managed to avoid the gambling dens and found his way to the Lid. Komedie Brute characters perused the filthy streets in pristine costumes, capes, and masks. This was a bad idea, to go looking for trouble, to go looking for Kuwei.

Even his name, the image that it cast in his mind, was a sinfully wonderful sight for his mind to behold. He imagined his slender body curving like silk in a dance, his hands twisting and turning him, pulling Jesper into a trance. Kuwei the magician, casting strange spells and turning his heart into a puddle. He thought about the rush his guns gave him, firing alongside friends and foes alike. The feeling ready to burst out of his chest wasn't different. Not in the slightest. He wanted to move, to dance, to live. It was getting him all jittery and elastic. He felt like a rubber band stretched taught. He felt like the dancer in a music box, twirling endlessly with nowhere to go. He felt like a drunkard, stumbling and smacking walls after every turn.

Where could you attain a specific person who moved like water? How could you hold movement? Kuwei was untouchable, unbelievable, and unreasonable. Every sign said no, danger, walk any other direction and you'll be fine. Don't get caught up again. Things went so poorly with Kaz and at least you could place where he may or may not have been. This kid? He could be halfway across the world by now and you would never have even known! Down on luck and hyped up on love. Jesper was being stupid and reckless, jostling people as he passed, mumbling Zemeni prayers under his breath, hushed tones and puffs of breath escaping his lips.

His mind was racing, his heart was racing, this was hopeless. This was hopeless. And before he knew it, he was crashing, falling apart at the seams in his head and in his body. He had been stupid, eyes glued to his breath and further down, his shoes. He'd been storming. Similar to his usual pacing but without the occasional turn, just a never ending bull fight. Head bent, hands in his pockets, lanky legs covering the distance like a maniac at top speed. He'd gone and bumped into a small hooded figure. He couldn't tell if they were hurt so he simply held out a hand and gave a small smile of sympathy.

"Sorry bout that," Jesper sighed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "guess I was thinkin' too hard."

"About?" the figure pondered, dusting off their black coat and rubbing their hands for some sort of warmth in the cold autumn afternoon.

"My friend, he went missing," Jesper lied, unwilling to reveal himself to a complete stranger.

"Hm, lose him round these parts? Or were you just trying to bump into me?" the figure said slyly.

"What?" Jesper gasped, blushing at the accusation and its implications, "I have things on a need to know basis, buddy, and right now, you definitely don't need to know!"

"Hm, the guy you're looking for must not matter much if he's not even on a need to know basis,"

"Hey, you don't know shit, so just leave me alone, would ya?" Jesper retorted.

"How bout I just help you look for him? I know a lot of people, could probably find him for you,"

"Tell me who you are and we have a deal," Jesper said, sticking out a hand.

"Why? You need it to ask me so you can ask me for a dance," they chuckled, pulling back the hood of their coat.

Kuwei stood before him, a small smile turning on his lips. Jesper launched back a few feet, even managing fly through the air before crashing back down on unsteady legs.

"Sweet Ghezen and all the saints! Kuwei, you asshole, you scared me! I thought I was gonna get freaking mugged for a second when you started talking about helping me!"

"I'd never mug you," Kuwei insisted, tugging Jesper closer into a side alley, "your face is just too damn pretty."

Flustered, Jesper looked down at his feet, "How'd you know where I was?"

"C'mon, don't make me admit I was searching, Jes," Kuwei whined, blushing furiously and - were those freckles Jesper saw on his cheeks, sprinkled like snowflakes? But, Sweet Ghezen, the way he said his name! Jes! Jesper wanted to wrap his arms around him, wanted to kiss him until the world exploded in gunfire around them.

Kuwei was too fast, too fly. He surged up and pulled Jesper down quickly, shoving their lips together. Jesper was getting messy but he desperately tried to bring it back by making his open mouthed kisses sensual and breathtaking. He wanted Kuwei to fall apart. he wanted to pull him up and make him happier than he'd ever been. What was coming over him?

"I was. Desperately so. Got all lovesick for you," Kuwei whispered onto his lips, "you looked so goddamn pretty last night. Practically begging me to come find your sorry ass."

"You love my sorry ass," Jesper chuckled.

"Sure as hell do," Kuwei smirked, slapping Jesper's ass.

~

Jesper jolted away. Dreaming. Of course he was dreaming! Of course! It didn't matter what he dreamed up, it would never amount to more than puffs of smoke. Kuwei was untouchable. He'd never get to see Kuwei again, let alone get him to slap his ass, for Ghezen's sake! Kuwei wasn't looking for him.

Kaz would get mad if he realized how hung up Jesper still was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully someone out there enjoys this. I'm getting really bad at updating (I know, self-aware) but I'm gonna try to update more frequently. I was trying to get an entirely separate Jesper/Wylan fic up but with Ao3's instant deletion coming this Tuesday for me and this fic as well, I'm gonna save it for when this fic is finished.
> 
> That being said, this is going to be a longer fic. I kinda wanna have some sort of plot to it but I'm not 100% sure and feedback would be much appreciated. I'm screaming from lack of Wylan/Jesper fics and I'm hoping to add to the collection.
> 
> As for notes specific to this chapter, I am so sorry. As I wrote, I knew it was a crack dream, too good to be true. I'm gonna figure something out because you know I'm nothing if not for my Wylan/Jesper flirting. 
> 
> Also, I have been thinking about writing something beyond Wylan/Jesper or even beyond Six of Crows. I'm considering Throne of Glass or A Court of Thorns and Roses. I'm open to suggestions on book related fics. I don't know really but I kinda wanna go beyond just by precious babies. I love them, but I don't want to write them wrong for all y'all lovely readers.
> 
> And that's it. Please comment if you liked and give feedback. I love hearing good responses but if there's even the smallest thing you don't like, shout it to the mother fucking heavens!


End file.
